Carcanet online book launch: Vinegar Hill by Colm Tóibín

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Writer Colm Toibin. Photo by Laura Wilson.
Writer Colm Toibin. Photo by Laura Wilson.

23 March 2022 Tickets from £2.00 — Book now

Join acclaimed writer Colm Tóibín online as he launches his – remarkably – debut collection of poetry, Vinegar Hill. Hosting the reading will be John McAuliffe, associate publisher and editor at Carcanet Press as well as Professor of Poetry and co-director of the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, and director of Creative Manchester.

It’s great to hear these highly anticipated poems from one of the most notable novelists and essayists of our time. While Vinegar Hill is Colm Tóibín’s first collection of poetry, his interest in poetry is lifelong and his work is mature and complex.

John will be introducing the readings by Colm (himself formerly of the Centre for New Writing) and discussing the new work with the recipient of the David Cohen Prize for Literature 2021. We’ve been hearing a little about Colm Tóibín as a result of the success of fellow Carcanet poet Padraig Regan, who was chosen by Colm to receive the Clarissa Luard Prize 2021, so it’s great to hear these highly anticipated poems from one of the most notable novelists and essayists of our time (his novel The Magician is shortlisted for the 2022 Rathbones Folio Prize, the winner of which is announced on 22 March). While Vinegar Hill is Colm Tóibín’s first collection of poetry, his interest in poetry is lifelong and his work is mature and complex.

The collection takes its title from the site of the battle between Irish rebels and British forces in 1798 near the author’s native Enniscorthy in County Wexford, Ireland, so expect subjects that are accordingly radical. Much of it written as he was being treated for cancer, themes include changing Dublin, life and death in the pandemic, gay marriage rights and rites, childhood, bereavement and religion.

Says Carcanet Press: “His world may start in County Wexford but it becomes wide with his travels in the United States, the Iberian peninsula and other far-flung geographies. The clarity of his writing and the narratives that underpin his lyrics, elegies, personal poems and satires, reveal the impact of his long discipline as a novelist (ten volumes including The Master, Brooklyn, The Testament Of Mary And Nora Webster and House Of Names) and story writer. Followers of his fiction will relish the opportunity to encounter Tóibín in verse. This rich collection, written over several decades, shot through with keen observation, emotion, and humor, Tóibín offers us poems to provoke, ponder, and cherish.”

As always with Carcanet Press events, extracts of the text will be shown during the reading so that you can read along, and audience members will have the opportunity to ask their own questions. Registration for this online event is £2, redeemable against the cost of the book – attendees will receive a discount code and details of how to get hold of the new book during and after the event.

Vinegar Hill by Colm Tóibín
Vinegar Hill by Colm Tóibín

23 March 2022 Tickets from £2.00 Book now

Where to go near Carcanet online book launch: Vinegar Hill by Colm Tóibín

Carden Park
Cheshire
Hotel
Carden Park

Huge luxury estate, featuring high-end restaurant, beautiful rooms, a fully-packed spa and much more.

We sell comics, graphic novels, manga, role playing games, board games, collectible card games, merchandise, apparel and much more besides!
Leeds
Shop
Travelling Man Leeds

A quirky little shop for comics, graphic novels, role-playing and board games, with frequent in-store events.

Further North
Leeds
Bar or Pub
Further North

Kind of like your front room, but with better beers and no television, Further North was one of the first microbars to open in Leeds and remains a staple today.

Wax Bar
Leeds
Bar or Pub
Wax Bar and JukeJoint

The Wax Bar and JukeJoint is a trendy, funky new bar with an old school theme running right through the middle from the Americana jukebox, to the vinyl records and player, old-style radio, 1980s ghetto blasters acting, quite effectively, as bar shelves and the lampshades on the walls that have been made out of classic cassette tapes.

House of Fu Leeds
City Centre
Restaurant
House of Fu Leeds

A Japanese-inspired restaurant speciaising in ramen and handmade dumplings, with a karaoke cocktail bar and lounge upstairs.

GET BAKED Opening Day
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
GET BAKED

Newly opened cakery in Stevensons Square, Northern Quarter Manchester. Get Baked brings all the Yorkshire charm and sweetness one of the city’s most popular squares.

Discover Lotherton, a country estate, historic hall and Wildlife World zoo. Our Edwardian estate is truly a great place for a family day out, with plenty to keep children and grown ups entertained! The expansive grounds and gardens are lovely walking spots, with or without four-legged companions. Each season brings new surprises including wild garlic in the spring, a sea of colourful blooms in summer in the formal gardens and stunning autumnal colours later on in the year. We have two playgrounds which means there's plenty of space for running about and letting off steam, with zip wires for older children to enjoy. Our evolving zoo, Wildlife World, is a real highlight of any visit and we'd highly recommend popping by to see the Humboldt penguins splash and swim in their pool. Other colourful characters include Arthur the tapir, our resident porcupines and a flamboyance of pink flamingos. Stop in at the shop on your way to pick up your very own version of one of our Lotherton
Café or Coffee Shop
Lotherton Hall and Estate

A truly great place for a family day out, discover Lotherton, a country estate, historic hall and Wildlife World Zoo.

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